Say Yes, February 2002: Teenagers Taking Care
Population projection from 1990 and over by the State Institute of Statistics (SIS) -- adolescents constitute the largest demographic group and the population of under-10s is almost as large again.
© UNICEF Turkey 2002
Only very recently have adolescents been recognised as a distinct social group in Turkey. Traditionally, their problems have been overshadowed by the needs of the child or the adult where teenagers have been seen to be either one or the other. However, over 43% of the population is under eighteen years of age and currently high rates of population growth will lead to an increase in numbers before long. The chart on the left shows the population distribution of Turkey since 1990 (SIS). It becomes daily more pressing to address the needs of adolescents.
Under the Country Programme of Cooperation (CPAP), UNICEF and the Turkish Government will focus exclusively on adolescent issues through the Adolescent Health and Development Project.
UNICEF is advocating the participation of young people in the project, since none of us can possibly understand the problems of an adolescent at the beginning of the twenty-first century better than adolescents themselves.
Turkey’s position as an economic and cultural entity between Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the new states of the former Soviet Union has altered in the past decade. The newly-opened borders mean that the youth of the country are exposed to the cultural mores of other societies which are new and exciting and, in some cases, dangerous. The ready availability of illegal drugs means that many young people have unprecedented opportunities to experiment. The health hazards and problems of addiction which all too easily follow must be addressed.
A recent survey of the sexual habits of Turkish high school and university students not only confirmed that a significant percentage are indeed sexually active but also showed that they tend not to have a sufficient understanding of sexual health issues.
It is a reasonable assumption that safe sex is not practiced widely and that the risk of HIV/AIDS infection is therefore a threat to young people.
There is a need for information, education and communication on HIV/AIDS for young people living in less developed parts of the country. The map shows provinces with at least one trainer, two trainers and three trainers trained to provide HIV/AIDS counselling.
Since there are no sexual health counselling and service units specially for adolescents, it was clearly necessary to raise awareness of healthy sexual practices. The question of how this thorny issue should be tackled was one of the first to be addressed by the Adolescent Health and Development Project.
In 2001, the Ministry of Health (MOH) in collaboration with the Sexual Health and Information Centre and UNICEF, published a pocket-sised, 28 page brochure packed with advice on the benefits and use of condoms. Entitled ‘Koruyucu Meleğim Olmadan Asla!’ (Never Without My Guardian Angel!). The brochure was developed and pre-tested by a youth group with the intention that it should appeal to their peers in the high schools and universities of Turkey. For the first time, a fresh, good humoured approach to the subject was taken and given a colourful, contemporary gloss to ensure that the message would be absorbed by young people.
Two MOH centres in low-income urban districts of separate provinces were chosen for pilot schemes offering counselling services and with the help of academics, the Health Personnel Training Manual for Counselling and Health Services for Adolescents was produced as a guide to train personnel at both centres.
Read more about HIV/AIDS Prevention for Young People in our Programmes section.
Read A Word About AIDS -- our simple guide to protecting yourself and others against the killer HIV virus or download the print-ready version. [PDF 50KB]
For more information about AIDS in Turkey, or to find out how you can help people who are living with AIDS, visit the AIDS Savaşım Derneği website or write to them via email.
Read Understanding AIDS awareness in Say Yes, Winter 2003.
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SAY YES, FEBRUARY 2002
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Volunteers have been collecting pledges for Say Yes for Children at universities as well as shopping malls, parks, crèches and on the streets. UNICEF hears that some students in Faculties of Communication are even using the campaign as a social mobilisation project.